Interview with a Travel Writer...Mark Hodson

This week’s interview is with London-based travel writer Mark Hodson.

A journalist for over 20 years, Mark now freelances for the Sunday Times. Specializing in travel, his articles range from practical travel tips (The Top 10 Travel Websites) to features (A Fairytale Setting in Slovenia).

Mark also runs Travel SEO, a company that provides search engine optimisation strategies for the online travel industry.

Hi Mark and welcome to My Year of Getting Published. Thanks for taking some time to chat with us.

1. Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get started in
writing?

Towards the end of my philosophy degree I realised I ought to make
some career plans and I thought journalism sounded fun. A
particularly useless careers advisor tried to dissuade me, even
suggesting I might be too "thin skinned". That was really all the
encouragement I needed.

2. What do you consider your first "break" as a travel writer?

I had been in full-time journalism for about five years when I left a
job as a sub-editor to travel the world. I spent three years travelling in the winters and working summers at a newspaper in London. I wrote some travel articles about my experiences in Asia and Latin America. They were quite good for a beginner, but no editor would publish them because I wasn't a "known" writer. Finally, I found a sympathetic editor at The Financial Times in London and once I was published, other editors became interested.

3. What advice would you give to someone who wants to break into travel writing?

Study the publications you want to write for, so you know exactly
what they want, then tailor your proposals and submissions to their
style, content and readership. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Most
editors know what they like - they just want more of the same. And
don't make the mistake of trying to start at the top. Many people
think travel writing is all about the big reads, but editors also
need short pieces, newsy stories and "how to" guides.

4. What do you see as the future for travel writers in print media
and online ?

There will always be a demand for good writers, and good travel
writers, but today it's more important than ever to be nimble and
adapt to the changing media landscape. I think print media is in slow
decline, but it's not dead just yet.

5. Which travel writers and/or travel books have influenced you?

Video Night in Kathmandu by Pico Iyer worked for me.

6. As a writer and traveler, what are the biggest challenges you face on the road ?

Guilt. I try to banish all thoughts of my wife at home looking after
our two kids, but sometimes it's hard. (joke!).

7. Finally, what is your favorite place and why ?

India is hard to beat for its full-on sensory impact, but the key to
enjoying any place lies in the attitude of the individual traveller.

365 days later….

Wow! I just realized that today My Year of Getting Published turns ONE…



Seems like only yesterday that I decided to go out on a limb and announce to the world (ie cyberspace) that I was on a journey to become a freelance travel writer.

Here’s what I said (October 31, 2006)

“I’ve been saying for years that I am a writer. Problem is, I haven’t done much about it, expecting, I guess, someone to come along and say ‘want to write for us’. This year, I finally decided to do something about this desire to write - I started writing and reading and planning. A business plan was developed, I researched the business of freelance writing, created a website and started blogging. And now it is time to get published.

So this is ‘my year of getting published’ and it starts on Halloween night . Might as well feel the fear and do it anyway.”

Since then I have written 368 posts discussing my successes and failures, provided writing tips and resources, and generally rambling on…

Along the way I have learned a great deal, made lots of ‘blogging’ friends, and discovered the joys and trials of freelance writing. And I found other travel writers, many of whom were generous enough to offer tips and advice and even participate in my ‘Interview with a Travel Writer’ series..

I also discovered online writing.

Before My Year of Getting Published, my focus was tunnel visioned - trying to get published in print magazines and newspapers. Now I realize that there are just as many, if not more, writing opportunities online.

I can now call myself a ‘professional blogger’ with my paid writing gig over at Alzheimer’s Notes and Christchurch Tour Guide.

I feel that I have managed to dip my toes into the water but am still a long way away from being able to swim.

A BIG THANKS to everyone for spending time with me and my blog. Without you all, My Year of Getting Published would have quickly sunk. The support, comments, and help that been offered throughout the year has ensured the survival of the blog and my determination to continue pursuing my dream...

Stick around…there’s so much more to come.

So much more to learn…
So much more to discover…
So much more to share…

Skelliwag’s list of '110+ Resources for Creative Minds'…

This is what I call a real resource.

Covering tips, inspiration, information, and exercises that could help even the most blocked creative mind, the Skelliwag‘s ‘110+ Resources for the Creative Mind‘ is a resource worth keeping.

My favourites…Overcoming Writer’s Block and 101 Ways to Brew Up a Great Idea.

Oprah considered the ‘ideal seat mate’ on long haul flights…

Here's a new twist on the ‘name three famous people you’d like to have dinner with’.

A recent survey done by Synovate Travel & Leisure asked over 1,000 business travellers who their dream seat mate would be…

The results:

Oprah - 24%
Bill Gates - 23%
Angelina Jolie - 22%
Hillary Clinton - 14%
George Bush by 13%.

My choice…George Clonney

Who’s your ideal seat mate???

Opportunities for Travel Writers…

None of these will make you rich or even pay the electricity bill. But if, like me, you’re just starting out and looking for exposure and some income, these online opportunities are worth checking out:

Brave New Traveler offers $20 for original articles that focus on spiritual and environmental travel issues, travel news, tips, reviews and interviews.

Matador has a Bounty Board that lists available assignments that pay anywhere from $20 to $100. They have also looking for interesting ‘Top 10’ travel lists for their new blog, The Traveler’s Notebook.

Traveling Stories Magazine (TMS) is running a Travel Writing Contest. The deadline is November 15th and the prize is $125 to the winner. But all entries will also be considered for publication in the hardcopy of TMS scheduled for January 2008.

Transitions Abroad is also running a series of Travel Writing Contests with a first prize of $500, second $150, third $100, and runner up $50 plus publication.

Know of any other contests or writing travel writing opportunities out in cyberspace ?

Authors@Google: Clotilde Dusoulier discusses her recent book, "Chocolate and Zucchini’

Clotilde Dusoulier started out with a blog called ‘Chocolate and Zucchini’ that became a online hit and eventually a book.

Thanks to Authors@Google we can listen to Clotilde describe her journey from blog to book.

Top 5 Weekly Posts for Writers...

1. How Much Should I Charge For My Freelance Writing?

2. Talking Travel with Javatrekker Dean Cycon

3. How To Develop Convincing Dialogue In Your Travel Writing

4. [Trave] Writer, How’s Your Integrity?

5. The Secret Language of Editors: ‘On Spec’

Interview with a Travel Writer…Michael Shapiro

Today we are joined by Michael Shapiro, travel writer and author of ‘A Sense of Place’. Michael is an award winning freelance writer with articles published in many national magazines (National Geographic Traveler, Islands) and newspapers (Washington Post, SF Chronicle, New York Times, etc, etc).


Hi Michael and welcome to My Year of Getting Published.


1. Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get started in writing?

I started as a news journalist in college at UC Berkeley's Daily Californian. Went to work for San Francisco Bay Area daily newspapers and then to Guatemala to learn Spanish. I wrote my first travel story about that, a service piece on the Spanish language schools of Antigua, Guatemala.

2. What do you consider your first "break" as a travel writer?

Getting that first story about Guatemala into the SF Chronicle travel section. My biggest recent break was having my story about Jan Morris's Wales features as the cover story in National Geographic Traveler (May-June 2006).

3. What advice would you give to someone who is considering going into travel writing? Any tips to breaking into newspapers and magazines?

Don't limit yourself to travel - write relentlessly - read widely and voraciously - tell stories, don't just report.

4. What do you see as the future for travel writers in the printed media and online ?

Newspapers have smaller freelance budgets and less space. Many agazines appear healthy and there are some opportunities online. Be ready to add other media to online stories, such as audio and video.

5. As a writer and traveler, what are the biggest challenges you face on the road ?

Discipline, occasional loneliness as I often travel alone, but that's the best way to travel on assignment as it forces you to get out and meet people and it makes you more approachable.

6. Finally, what is your favorite place and why ?

It's hard to pick one but I'm just back from Cambodia and Mongolia, two amazing destinations that are on the rise.

Common myths about Travel Writers…

I found this great article over at Transitions Abroad. Written by Tim Leffel, it addresses the seven most common myths about travel writers. They are:

- Travel writers make enough money to live on.
- Editors are hungry for travel stories from new writers.
- A destination is a story.
- Readers want to hear every detail about your personal experiences.
- Travel magazines love long stories.
- You write a story, you get paid, it soon gets published.
- All your expenses will be covered.

Tim covers all these myths in depth and discusses ways to get past them on your way to a travel writing career. Check it out here…

Travel Book of the Week: 'A Sense of Place' by Michael Shapiro

Imagine being in a room with all your favorite travel writers and having conversations about writing, travel, and life. That’s what Michael Shapiro’s A Sense of Place is all about. It’s a virtual smorgasbord of information about the effort and thought that goes into writing a travel book.

A travel writer himself, although at that stage mostly writing about travel-tech issues, Michael Shapiro was looking to ‘learn from the masters’ by interviewing successful travel writers in their own homes. He saw this as a means of creating his own ‘personal graduate school‘ where he could ‘soak up knowledge and wisdom by osmosis‘. Luckily, we are also allowed admission to this school.

The book interviews 18 travel writers with diverse and interesting stories to tell. Not only are some my favorite writers, such as Pico Iyer and Bill Bryson, featured but I have also discovered a few new ones.

The information they impart ranges from Isabel Allende discussing how to create a sense of place in your writing - “…describe it with the senses. ..describe the smell, the color, the temperature, the texture, how you feel time, because time varies in every place.” (pg 119) - to Arthur Frommer on advice for aspiring travel writers - “…I tell people who want to write guidebooks or magazine articles to simply perform a audition - make believe they are writing about some aspect of their own community for a guidebook…go out and do the research and write it up. If you are good at it, if you are truly talented, it will be recognized.” (pg 181) But the secret of success, according to Bill Bryson, is that “…you just pound a path to the top of the mountain. You don’t just sort of levitate your way up.”(pg 148)

But it’s not all about writing. The conversations that Michael has with the writers also addresses so many other issues (such as politics and history) and this allows us a wonderful glimpse of the people behind the writing.

Needless to say, my copy of ‘A Sense of Place’ shows constant use. Pages are earmarked, sentences highlighted, and comments written wherever there is room.

Anyone who loves travel books will love this.

…..

PS. Come back later this week for ‘Interview with a Travel Writer’ featuring an interview with Michael Shapiro.

Top 5 Weekly Posts for Writers

1. 2 Powerful Techniques To Illuminate Your Travel Writing

2. A Method to the Madness

3. Loving and loathing freelance writing

4. Time Management for Freelancers: How to Pull an All Nighter

5. Unlocking the Secrets to Our Success


Plus one:

The Top 35 Environmental Blogs - a Blog Action Day post worth earmarking.

Interview with a Travel Writer...Vivienne Mackie.

The ‘Interview with a Travel Writer’ series is back and we are starting off with Vivienne Mackie, travel writer and ESL teacher currently living in Paris, France for six months.

Vivienne has written for Transitions Abroad, International Living, Expat Exchange Trips and Journeysand France for Freebooters. She also writes and edit’s the Fiesta Section of Just Say Go. You can find her blogging most days at ‘Round the World with Vivienne’

Hi Vivienne and welcome to My Year of Getting Published. Thanks for finding some time to chat.

1. Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get started in writing?

I’m not sure I ever actually thought about being a writer when I was younger---I just wrote all the time, even as a child. My whole family reads a lot and is fascinated with language, so it came naturally. Finishing university and finding a career happened, as did getting married and having a family. But all along, I was still keeping a journal, writing short articles for local magazines and a few professional journal articles. The idea of branching into travel writing grew out of our love of travel and my habit of keeping an extensive travel journal. I wanted to share our experiences with family and friends, we added photos and slides, and then it seemed logical to try and get something published, so it could be more widely viewed.

2. What do you consider your first break as a travel writer?

If by first break you mean first published travel article, it was on Neuschwanstein in a local newspapers for seniors. I was enormously proud to see it in print, which spurred me to do more. But, I’m still waiting for “the big break”!

3. What advice would you give to someone who is considering going into travel writing? Any tips to breaking into newspapers and magazines?

I’m sure that most writers would say something similar: persevere, don’t give up, even in the face of all those rejection letters or the complete silence in response to queries. Keep reading, and finding new possible markets.

Something that’s also been enormously helpful to me is to find other travel writers to be ‘buddies’---through various online groups or associations or, even better, a local writers’ group if you have one.

For newspapers and magazines, start local, start small. I’m still waiting to crack the big one!

4. What do you see as the future for travel writing in the printed media and online?

I believe there’ll always be a place for travel writing of one sort or another as humans love to travel, to move around, and they need information. As information on the web proliferates and explodes, it becomes harder to make a mark, but someone who always produces good work, who’s always reliable, who covers a place well, should still do fine.

Some parts of the printed media do seem to be shrinking as people use the web more but there are still many avenues open to those who spend a bit of time ferreting out markets (I don’t do enough of that).

5. As a writer and traveler, what are the biggest challenges you face on the road?

Traveling for work can be tiring and stressful if you have a lot to cover in a short time. Living out of a suitcase gets “old” very quickly---and lugging the suitcase up and down stairs in the metro, in old hotels etc.

You have to make time each day to make notes, verify facts, organize photos etc.

So, I always try to have a few “down” days, or at least some personal relaxing time in between.

6. Finally, what is your favorite place and why?

Favorite place is a hard one to answer, as I think that everywhere has something interesting to offer. It will depend partly on my mood at the time as to what aspect of a place will grab me.

That said, probably my favorite country in general is France---the countryside is really pretty, the history so rich, the churches and monuments amazing, the food and wine wonderful.

We also love Scotland, for the same reasons, but not for the food! The people in Scotland are so warm and welcoming. Of cities, one of my favorites is Vienna. But, for natural beauty and grandeur, the USA is hard to beat; for wildlife, either southern Africa of Australia. (Sorry, I’ve not been to New Zealand yet---will have to rectify that).

Blog Action Day 2007

I missed Blog Action Day. Sick with a stomach bug, the environment was the last thing on my mind…

But that I’m on the road to recovery I‘ve been checking out what’s been written and it’s all good.

Travel-Rants suggests that we ‘Help the Environment’ by being more responsible. For example, he writes ‘I’m sat at the PC, and the TV is behind me, it’s switched on, and I am not watching it – not very environmentally friendly is it. You can make changes to reduce energy, by using energy saving bulbs, turn electrical equipment off – not on standby.’

(great point I think as I rush into the living room and turn off the unwatched TV)

Joanne at Confident Writing looks at ‘20 ways to cut your words and help to save the planet’. After all,

fewer words = less ink and less paper.

Easier said than done, you might think. Not so, according to Joanne, if you follow her tips.

Conversation Agent discusses ‘How Social Media is Greening the Planet’ through worldwide conversations on green living and sustainability.

Copyblogger writes about ‘How tiny Actions Can Save the World’ such as cutting out bottled water and changing to fluorescent light bulbs can make a difference when ‘…when those tiny changes are aggregated among millions of people.’

IttyBiz discusses ‘Saving the Planet One Home Business at a Time’ by

- thinking…before you print
- thinking…about your electricity consumpton
- thinking…before you throw things out.

In other words, by thinking before you act.

LifeClever looks at ‘How to Save the World by Sleeping’. After all, he asks ‘What’s a super-easy way to reduce energy consumption, lower your energy bill, and feel good all-over?’ But before you close your eyes, read on…it’s the computer that you need to put to sleep.

And that’s only a few of more than 15,000 participants that would have posted about the environment on Blog Action Day.

'Eat,Love'Pray' author Elizabeth Gilbert talks at Authors@Google...

World Hum Holding Roundtable on ‘Women’s Travel’

There’s a great discussion going on over at World Hum between four successful travel writers - Terry Ward, Catherine Watson, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, and Liz Sinclair. Written as an email dialogue, they’ve been discussing the benefits and disadvantages of being female traveling solo, the writer vs traveler, returning home, and travel in general. Here's some of what they have to say...

Terry "...When I return from a trip, I usually find myself in a funk because everything is so easy and expected, like there’s some unseen handbook guiding me through my every day—work, work out, wind down, repeat. And it bothers me to feel like I’m living with blinders on at home, when I am so much more automatically open to experiences everyplace else. Why is this?"

Stephanie "...Traveling teaches you the inherent value of a day and the possibility each new one holds within. Writing enables you to share the stories of the people whose paths you cross along the way. Partnering the two is utter bliss... And therein lay the travel writer’s dilemma: you become so aware of how exciting/adventurous/fulfilling life can be, it kills your soul to do anything else!"

Liz "...can no longer “just travel.” I’m writing constantly wherever I go, trying to see things through a reader’s eyes, looking for my hooks, my characters, listening for my dialogue. This is one reason why I started living in foreign countries. I’m dissatisfied with knowing only the surface. I want to get beneath the skin of the culture."

Catherine "...But for days after a trip, I feel as if my feet have suddenly been nailed to the floor, but my body and my soul are still traveling onward. It’s like falling in a big arc, in slow, slow motion. And when I finally hit the floor, I turn into someone else. My values revert. My curiosity shuts down. Pretty soon, I’m watching the Home and Garden Network on cable, snacking too much, putting off doing the laundry and wondering why I’m depressed."

It’s fascinating reading. Check it out…

Part One: “He My HUSBAND”
Part Two: The Feminine Card
Part Three: Arguments and Getting to the Heart of the Subject
Part Four: Being a Woman - Wherever
Part Five: Settling Down on the Fringe
Part Six: Wanna See My AK-47?
Part Seven: Loosing Gender
Part Eight: The Home Dilemma
Part Nine: Girl Power, and the Get Up and Go
Part Ten: Ode to the Mother Road

Top 5 Weekly Posts for Writers...

1. 5 Hints for Writing Headlines

2. What editors want.

3. The sneaky way to email an editor.

4. Why Every Travel Writer Should Embrace Their Ego.

5. Does Blogging Pay Less Than Traditional Freelance Writing?

Plus Two:

Is the Net Good for Writers?

10 Bloggo-Fears That Go Bump in the Night and How to Make Them Worse.

Interview with a Travel Writer...

...will return next week.

Even travel editors blog…

Wouldn’t it be great to know how travel editors think ?

I wonder if the answer is in their blog.

Just in case, here’s a list of some travel editors who blog...

Kerraway - Michael Kerr, travel editor at The Daily Telegraph

Travels with Jane - Jane Wooldridge is the Miami Herald's award-winning travel editor

Explore - News Sentinel travel editor Linda Lange.

Roads Less Travelled - Tracy Barnett is Travel Editor for the San Antonio Express-News.

What I've discovered so far about these blogs is that you can...

- find out their contact email
- start a dialogue with them through leaving comments
- get a feel for their writing style and travel interests

I don't know if all this adds up to anything when you're contemplating an article proposal but every little bit helps...

Spain Revisited: Segovia in one day...

Only two hours northeast of Madrid by train (10.20 Euro return), Segovia is often overlooked by travellers who daytrip instead to the more well known Toledo and Avilla. Bur for my money, Segovia is the place to go.

To start with, it’s less crowded than Toledo and Avilla. And after dealing with crowded streets of Madrid, this is a definite plus.

But it’s the ruins of the Roman Aquaduct that's the main attraction.



An amazing feat of engineering, most likely built in the 1st Century (98-117 AD), this aquaduct is one of the most well preserved Roman structures in the world.

Then there is Alcazar, the fairytale castle that sits at the top of the city.



And for something truly unique (and disturbing) there is the Ancient Museum of Witchcraft.



Of course, along the way, there is also the Plaza Mayor, numerous churches, and an amazing cathedral to discover.



Segovia can easily be explored in one day. But to get an in depth view of this historic city, it would be worthwhile stay for at least a week. Next time I will. I have already chosen my hotel. It overlooks the Plaza Mayor...

NYC Revisited: Ellen's Stardust Diner...

It was only by chance and a whole lot of rain that we discovered Ellen’s Stardust Diner at Broadway and 51st. A chain reaction you could say. Two days earlier we had been booked on a walking tour of Movie Locations around Central Park. But just as the tour started so did the rain. The skies opened up. The rains came down. Appearing just as suddenly as the rain, street vendors started waving souvenir umbrellas for sale at highly inflated prices. We had already looked like drowned rats but of course we bought the umbrellas. After all, the tour must go on.

It was a bedraggled looking group of umbrella huggers who finally entered Central Park. Our determined guide rattled of names and locations as we tried to listen and avoid increasingly large puddles of water. But as the rains continued to bucket down, it soon became evident that tour was quickly becoming a wash out. And although it wasn’t in the terms of the ticket (which said tours would happen rain or shine), we were offered the chance to take a future Movie Location Bus Tour instead. Having stepped in one to many puddles, it was an offer we couldn’t refuse.

The pick up point for the bus tour was Broadway and 51st, just outside Ellen’s Stardust Diner. And that’s how we discovered a slice of Americana, complete with singing wait staff.

This retro theme 1940’s and 1950’s diner, outfitted with nostalgic memorabilia, provides great diner style food, good service and plenty of entertainment. We were there for breakfast and it couldn’t be faulted - a huge plate of eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast, and a constantly filled coffee cup. And then there was the singing. We were entertained with a steady stream of music. One minute you were being served coffee, then next your waiter was bellowing out ‘Sweet Caroline’ to a group of girl scouts celebrating the birthday of one of their group. Yes, you guessed it - the birthday girl was named Caroline.

It was like being in a time warp, circa 1950s. I kept looking to the door, expecting the gang of ‘Happy Days’ to walk through. Of course, that never happened but the astmosphere within the diner made it feel that it could...

Oprah talks with ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ author Elizabeth Gilbert…

Way back in May I posted about ‘5 Travel Books I wish I’d Written’. One of the books was Eat, Pray,Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Oprah Winfrey, in turns out, is also a fan and will be taking with Elizabeth Gilbert on her show on Friday 5th Oct 2007. Here’s the details.

Unfortunately this episode won’t reach New Zealand until later this year. So I’ll have to make do with Oprah’s and Elizabeth’s websites…

Free e-book on Travel Writing…

Written by Helen Leggett who lives (sort off) down the road from me, this e-book ‘Writing about Travel for Fun and Profit’ is free. All you have to do is download it.

I’ve downloaded a copy but haven’t had a chance read it yet…

Monthly Roundup...(September)

Hi everyone. I am now back in New Zealand and am trying to recover from jetlag and the post-travel blues…plus the cold weather that has greeted me.

Needless to say, I haven’t done much on the writing front in September. No articles or query letters were sent out. I was too busy in Spain and New York City experiencing the travel to actually write about it. But I hope to fix that this month by sending out numerous query letters and articles about places and activities that I have discovered during my travels.

I had a great month travelling. I meet so many interesting and entertaining people along the way. In Madrid, I met up with Abha Malpani from the Written Road blog…you can read about our meeting here. It was great to talk with Abha who has done something that I often consider but haven’t quite yet got the courage to do. She dropped out of her former life in Public Relations/ Media and moved to a foreign country - ie Spain - to learn the language and pursue her desire to become a successful writer. She’s doing okay with this, teaching English to Spaniards, writing online content for Gridskipper, Written Road, Map Magazine, and now Vagablogging building up both contacts and content, and immersing herself in the Spainish culture…it really is quite inspiring.

In New York City, I finally got caught up with Wendy Perrin of Conde Nast Traveler magazine and The Perrin Post. We had a great lunch at the Gramercy Tavern and chatted away for a couple of hours about writing and blogging.

I’ll be spending the rest of this week posting some more about my travels and then will be back to the usual format of resources and interviews…

Meanwhile, here’s few interesting articles about the post-travel blues…

6 Simple Ways To Beat the Post-Travel Blues

Post Holiday Blues

The coming home blues